The disclosures herein relate generally to computer systems, and more particularly, to security of a computer system such as a portable notebook computer.
Current security measures used with respect to portable computers and computer systems fail to prevent authorized users from stealing a respective portable computer or computer system. One current security measure includes use of a system password for enabling a user to use a prescribed computer system. The system password however does not prevent anyone who knows the password from stealing the computer and thereafter being able to continue using the computer. Another security measure includes the use of a hard disk drive password. The use of a hard disk drive password only serves to protect the hard disk drive, and can be bypassed by merely replacing the hard disk drive. Other security measures include the use of various locks and other physical attachment devices. A committed individual can forcibly remove such physical attachments, whereas, an authorized user with an appropriate key can merely use the key to unlock the computer from its physical constraint and thereby steal the computer. Lastly, a security measure making use of operating system level passwords can be bypasses by reinstalling of the computer operating system. The use of operating system level passwords thus does not provide a very high level of security against computer theft by an authorized user.
In addition to the above described security measures, there is no convenient way of knowing when a notebook computer (or other computer system) coupled to a network has been stolen or removed without authorization. Such information could be very useful for security personnel. That is, given an ability to know when a computer is removed or otherwise disconnected from the network, security applications could be written which track the presence of such computers connected to the network. Security personnel could then be notified if a computer system is removed without proper authorization.
It would thus be desirable to provide an improved level of security and an improved security measure against undesired theft of a computer system, especially, a portable computer system coupled to a computer network.
According to one embodiment, a computer system includes at least one processor, at least one memory, a device for communicating with a prescribed network server, and a mechanism for implementing a removal notification security measure during at least a low power mode of the computer system. The security measure includes the transmitting of a security packet to the prescribed network server at prescribed intervals subsequent to the computer system entering the low power mode.
The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a technical advantage of an improved level of security and an improved security measure against undesired theft of a computer system, especially, a portable computer system coupled to a computer network.